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Late power surge propels LSU to a come-from-behind 9-7 victory over Alcorn State

Alex Bregman LSU takes on Alcorn St. baseball

LSU shortstop Alex Bregman gets ready for action against Alcorn State on Tuesday. The Tigers rallied for a 9-7 victory with three home runs, two in the 8th inning.
(Ted Jackson, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

Alcorn
State spent most of Tuesday night peppering LSU pitchers for 16 hits and looked
headed toward a monumental victory at Alex Box Stadium. LSU's slumbering bats -
most of them swung by reserves for the first 5 innings - finally surged to life
when it mattered, though.

The
Tigers got a two-run home run from Tyler Moore and a three-run blast from
Conner Hale with two outs in the bottom of the 8th inning to
complete an uphill climb and lift LSU to a 9-7 victory.

It
was a struggle all around, as the Tigers' pitchers surrendered a season-high 16
hits to a team that arrived with 8 victories all season.

But
it was a win nonetheless, with some drama injected late in front of a small
gathering of 2,940.

Well
on the way to a stunning loss, LSU coach Paul Mainieri switched course
mid-game. He started a lineup featuring six reserves who have barely touched
the field in the last month, but began
inserting starters back into the lineup in the 6th inning to liven
up the moribund offense.

It
worked, although the Braves lent a major hand.

Andrew
Stevenson led off the at-bat and reached when his ground ball scooted through
shortstop Moses Charles' legs for an error. With one out and Stevenson at
second base, Kade Scivicque hit another hot shot in Charles' direction and he
misplayed that one as well to put runners on the corners.

Jake
Fraley pinch-hit for Danny Zardon and tomahawked a fly ball that just cleared
the right-field fence and Scotty Peavey's outstretched glove for a three-run
home run that closed the gap to 6-4.

That
momentum died quickly, though, as Braves' reliever Justin Lemond got Mark Laird
and Moore on popups to quell the rally.

Alcorn
tacked on a run in the 8th inning when Charles made amends for his
two gaffes with a leadoff double, got to third on a bunt and raced home on a
two-out wild pitch.

The
Tigers head to Texas A&M on Thursday for a weekend series starting at 6:30
p.m. Friday.